The Canberra aircraft  the backbone of the Indian Air Force
for bombing raids and photo reconnaissance had provided a unique
service for the Indian Navy too, as one Squadron in Pune replaced
the Liberators and flew over the sea. In the 1971 war they flew a
very important sortie and hit the Karachi Kemari oil tanks and a
then Wing Commander described it in detail in ACM PC Lal's book, My
Years with the IAF. The attack helped the Navy to carryout their
missile boats attack with impunity  INS Talwar under Capt Curly
Nair escorted then LCDR Vijay Jerath and the IAF set the Keamari
tanks on fire again just when the Pakistani's had doused the fires
that were set on 4th December 1971.
The Canberras are to be phased out and we wish them a fond
farewell.

The Canberra
Bomber

The English Electric Canberra was a first-generation jet
bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s, and remain
in service till today.

English Electric Canberra B-2

The Canberra
had its origins in 1944 as thoughts turned to developing a
replacement for the unarmed high speed, high altitude de Havilland
Mosquito bomber. Several long-established high-profile British
aircraft manufacturers submitted proposals. Among the companies
short listed to proceed with development studies, however, was a
surprise new entrant  English Electric.

In May 1945 a contract was signed, but with the post-war
military wind-down, the prototype did not fly until May 1949. It was
a deceptively simple design, looking rather like a scaled-up Gloster
Meteor with a shoulder wing. The fuselage was circular in cross
section, tapered at both ends and, cockpit aside, entirely without
protrusions; the line of the large, low aspect ratio wings was
broken only by the tubular engine nacelles.

Although jet powered and of all-metal construction, the
Canberra design philosophy was very much in the Mosquito mould 
provide room for a substantial bomb load, fit two of the most
powerful engines available, and wrap it in the smallest, most
aerodynamic package possible; rather than devote space and weight to
defensive armament that could in any case never hope to overcome
purpose-designed fighter aircraft, simply make it fly fast enough
and high enough to avoid air-to-air combat.

The Canberra was originally designed for a crew of two under
a fighter-style canopy, but delays in the development of the
intended automatic radar bombsight resulted in the addition of a
bomb aimer's position in the nose. Wingspan and length were almost
identical at just under 20 metres, maximum takeoff weight a little
under 25 tonnes. Power was provided by a pair of 30 KN axial flow
Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets.

Conversion to Canberras

In January 1957 the English Electric Canberra was selected by
the Indian Air Force, to equip its bomber and strategic
reconnaissance units. IAF aircrew and ground crew received initial
training in the UK, with the RAF at
Basingstoke, and also with English Electric and Rolls Royce
particularly for the ground crew. These crews began ferrying
Canberras to India
in May 1957. On 1 September 1957 No 5 Squadron, under the command of
Wing Commander WR Dani (Later Air Commodore, now in his 80s and
residing in Pune), became the first IAF squadron to re-equip with
the B(I)58 bomber-interdictor version of the Canberra, the version
that was to be most widely operated by the IAF. (No 106 Squadron,
specialising in strategic reconnaissance, had formed on a PR variant
of the Canberra shortly before, nominally becoming the IAF's first
Canberra
unit.) The squadron had moved to Agra, which was to become the IAF's
main Canberra base, in May of that year.

Operational Service

The Canberras first went into action in 1961 when it got its
first operational assignment during the liberation of Goa It's aircraft
took part in the attack to disable Dabolim airfield in Portuguese
held Goa. A few sorties were also mounted in support of operations
against Diu. Canberras were moved north during the confrontation with
China in
1962. In the event that no air action was authorized during the
conflict no combat sorties were flown by any Canberra units. The
squadron's first sustained combat operations occurred during war
against Pakistan in 1965. In 1971 it was part of the main strike
force and took an active part in the pre emptive strikes.

The English Electric Canberra bomber aircraft was first
inducted into the Indian Air Force at POONA in 1956 when
No.16 Squadron was formed as a conversion squadron, and subsequently
Nos.5 Squadron and No. 35 Squadron were also formed and equipped
with the Canberra B(I)Interdictor Bomber and later No101 PR
Squadron. The Canberras took part in all operations, Goa, 1965 and
1971 as also UN Operations in CONGO
in 1961. The Canberras last saw action in the Kargil war when one of
its engines suffered a missile attack

Through all these years of service in the Indian Air Force
the Canberra
has been flown and loved by all the crews that flew in this now
venerable aircraft. The Canberra aircraft renowned the world over
for its versatile capabilities, has served in nearly all the Air
Forces of the world in one role or the other. In the Falkland war
the Argentinians had put the Canberra to very effective use against
the Royal Navy. Canberra Bomber Old Boys Association has been
established here in Pune, the birth place of the first Canberra
bomber squadron as a representative of all the IAF crews that flew
and fought in the elegant and stately machine with flying
characteristics that rivaled in its time the fighters of that age.

To commemorate this historic occasion of the 50th Anniversary
of the induction of the Canberras into the Indian Air Force service
and before its gallant crews fade into history the Pune chapter of
the Canberra Old Boys Association hoisted a GOLDEN JUBILEE REUNION
on 31 March 2006 at the Air Force Station Lohegaon, Pune for all the
Canberra veterans both past and present.

In a tribute to the men and their flying machines and to mark
this occasion for posterity a souvenir was released on the occasion.
The Chief of the Air Staff and two retired Chiefs who flew the
aircraft, also graced the event.